Funny business: Exhibit celebrates comics

Nearly 300 works comprise a something-for-everyone show at Escondido museum

"Art Illustrated: Celebrating Comic Art" is an exhibit filled with comic gems including a 1969 reproduction of the first appearance in 1939 of "The Bat-Man."
— California Center for the Arts, Escondido

"Art Illustrated: Celebrating Comic Art" is an exhibit filled with comic gems including a 1969 reproduction of the first appearance in 1939 of "The Bat-Man."
/ California Center for the Arts, Escondido

ESCONDIDO  Walking into the “Art Illustrated” comic art exhibit is like stepping right into the funny pages — and then some.

Are you a fan of “Luann,” the comics-page sweetheart of teen angst and frivolity? Then you’ll enjoy lingering over more than two dozen original gems from creator and longtime San Marcos resident Greg Evans’ personal collection. Discover The New Yorker-esque quirk and wit of Encinitas artist Jim Whiting. Chuckle — and squirm — over a week’s worth of parental favorite “Baby Blues,” in which the family of five battles head lice.

“Art Illustrated: Celebrating Comic Art” curator Andrew Farago set out to assemble an introductory comic art exhibit that would appeal to all ages, whether aficionados or casual fans.

What resulted is a mix of popular funny page favorites and artists for which the exhibit would serve as a good introduction.

“Maybe you read the comics every day, or maybe you watch movies based on superheroes, or maybe you watch cartoons with your kids,” Farago said. “The goal was finding enough cartoons (that) people would recognize on some level, and hopefully adding some surprises.”

"Zits," by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, centers on the life of a teenage boy named Jeremy Duncan and his parents. The daily comic strip is among those featured in the exhibit.
— California Center for the Arts, Escondido

"Zits," by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, centers on the life of a teenage boy named Jeremy Duncan and his parents. The daily comic strip is among those featured in the exhibit.
/ California Center for the Arts, Escondido

Center officials approached Farago, who’s curator of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, after winning a $25,000 Escondido Charitable Foundation grant last fall. The grant proposal from the center’s Jerry Buckley, vice president of external affairs, centered on an art festival that would engage residents and attract visitors through comics — one of the most popular, accessible art forms.

Perfect timing

And what better time to hold such an exhibition than during the buildup to San Diego’s Comic-Con International, the annual four-day, larger-than-life pop culture convention.

The center’s timing for approaching Farago turned out to be fortuitous, as well. Syndication giant King Features had contacted Farago about exhibit ideas, but the San Francisco museum’s calendar was full.

But when Farago told King Features about the Escondido exhibit, the syndicate was happy to reach out to cartoonists, yielding a gold mine of original prints from classic strips like “Beetle Bailey” and “Hagar the Horrible.”

The center also called Evans, who was eager to participate. He lent 12 “Luann” strips, and 15 strips by other cartoonists, including a “Peanuts” inscribed to Evans and signed “Sparky” (Charles Schulz’s nickname).

"Luann" creator Greg Evans and his daughter, Karen - who inspired the comic strip - pose for caricature artists at an exhibit reception. Evans lent more than two dozen pieces from his personal collection to the exhibit.— California Center for the Arts, Escondido

"Luann" creator Greg Evans and his daughter, Karen - who inspired the comic strip - pose for caricature artists at an exhibit reception. Evans lent more than two dozen pieces from his personal collection to the exhibit.
/ California Center for the Arts, Escondido

Evans also gave the center a drawing of Luann’s dog, Puddles, to use in the exhibit’s promotions.